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GANZ tells all on his forthcoming Debut EP on DIM MAK [Interview]

Written by Cassie Lee PhillipsJune 15, 2018

No stranger to Australian music, GANZ’s trademark “Flips” for Flume​, Hermitude​ and Alison Wonderland​​ refined his tactful productions. His original “Lone​,” a collaboration with more Australian’s – What So Not ​and upcoming Australian talent JOY.​, earned him worldwide accolade, taking over the musical world from Splendour in the Grass to China, Fiji and America.

Earlier this month, GANZ made his Dim Mak debut on electronic single “Let’s Fly Away Together,” featuring LUNA MAY. This is the first track of his forthcoming EP Skin In The Game.

Here’s what he had to say about world domination:

SR: Hey man, we’re loving your new single “Let’s Fly Away Together (feat. LUNA MAY.)” How did you end up collaborating with Aussie Singer, Luna May?

G: Thanks a lot! I really appreciate it. We’ve been in contact via our publisher Sony ATV. I’ve been sent vocals and drafts of Luna, and I liked them a lot. The vocals sounded super euphoric and that’s still a thing I want to put in each song, whether it’s a really happy track or a track with some dark edges. So I worked some of those. Last year when I went to Melbourne we hooked up and did a studio session together, the chemistry was right so it was really easy to finish the song with her!

SR: It’s not secret you have a soft spot for Australian music, your discography is very telling! Has this been intentional? If so, why or why not.

G: For some reason it feels like most of the artist I like seem to come from Australia.. Not sure why, it’s something about the sounds coming from AUS…maybe they’ve got a sort of a unique talent on that side of the world… definitely great ear for detail.

SR: The Single is from your forthcoming EP, Skin in the Game. Can you tell us a bit about the writing process and what you hope to achieve from the release?

G: The basis of the EP actually was made during my AUS tour last year. Australia gives me instant inspiration and gets me in the mood for making new music. So I had some drafts of beats of which I felt like needed to be finished into solid tracks. I did some studio sessions there and I got the vocals recorded there for the title track of the ep “Skin In The Game as well as “Let’s Fly Away Together. The rest of the tracks were all made back at home in The Netherlands. I had a session with Belle from CUT_ at the Red Bull studios in Amsterdam were we wrote “Slippin”. I’ll be gone was the latest track I’ve added to the ep. I made it a while ago, sent it to a few Dj friends and got great response. It was picked up by tokimonsta on bbc1 and since then a lot of people were asking when I would release it. It matched the overall EP so I think it has a good spot on my “Skin In The Game EP”.

SR: What’s the Trap and Bass scene in the Netherlands like? We hear it’s all house and techno over there!

G: Ofcourse house and techno are everywhere here in NL, a lot more festivals are getting bass and trap related stages but it has changed a lot since a few years back. Everything is getting more EDM and so you hear more trap and bass on mainstages since it got picked up by the bigger djs and it become more of a cross over with the new pop.

SR: What’s your favourite gig you’ve ever played and why? Doesn’t have to necessarily be the biggest.

G: For Europe is has to be “down the rabbit hole” two years ago because the crowd was so down with everything and weren’t just waiting for a track to drop. They were just waiting for some cool stuff and newer sounds they did not hear before. Splendour in the grass has to be still my fav Aussie show. The crowd and festival were so amazing and beyond my expectations. I met up with a lot of friends and djs while exploring the festival and even joined me on stage, such as the guys from Hermitude.

SR: What’s the hardest part about being an international producer, dj and performer?

G: Being away from home for a longer time, not always being able to work on stuff because of traveling my ears can get tired, working on deadlines between flights and people thinking that every Dutch person lives in Amsterdam.

SR: Can you tell us about what’s going on behind the scenes of your label, The Hard Headed?

G: TBH I haven’t been focussing on THH like I planned, but this doesn’t mean I won’t be doing it in the future. We’ve found a nice home for my new music, but maybe I’ll drop some more stuff on THH again someday. I’d still want to release music of other artists, but only if I can give them the attention they need.

SR: Do you have any “tour hacks” that get you through touring?

G: A can of Red Bull can really make my day while traveling + I found out I’m most of the time eating Asian food. Makes me feel much better instead of a greasy burger and pizzas.

SR: What’s the greatest purchase you’ve made under $100 that has changed your life?